Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 841 Yiwu is a place for Confucian scholars and good governance.

Shi Ju's helplessness in the face of He Zizhen was not due to his incompetence.

In modern terms, it was a civil law judge encountering a problem most commonly found in common law systems.

Later laws can be roughly divided into the common law system, represented by England and the United States, and the civil law system, represented by China, France, and Russia.

Both of these legal traditions have a long history, but one of the biggest differences is that the civil law system investigates the matter thoroughly outside the courtroom before the judge leads the trial.
The common law system, on the other hand, focuses on courtroom arguments, where the plaintiff, defendant, and their lawyers engage in heated debates under the watchful eyes of the jury and the judge in an attempt to influence the judge's decision.

The fundamental reason for these differences is that, as long as manpower and resources are allocated, it is still possible to investigate and clarify things that happen on the mainland.

However, things that happen at sea are virtually impossible to investigate thoroughly. Only by having everyone act as detectives can the truth be revealed.

All of He Zizhen's statements are now just empty words; they may be true or false, but there is no real evidence to back them up.

It is true that some money was converted into compensation for the sailors, and it is also true that some money was converted into salt tax to balance the accounts, but the exact amount is unclear.

As for whether the sea is really that dangerous, and whether the official ships transporting refined salt are really that easy to sink, that really depends entirely on He Zizhen's word.

But in any case, the investigation into He Zizhen was complete. With He Zizhen, along with many salt commissioner officials and naval commanders, being uprooted as a foundation, even Shi Ju felt that it should end there.

It wasn't that Shi Ju was afraid that further investigation would uncover bigger problems, but who else could he ask a shipping admiral to take the blame?

I'll say it again, it can't be He Boqiu, can it?

Don't forget that He Boqiu's current position is the second most important person in the Jiedushi's office, the Chief Secretary of the Jiedushi's office.

If Liu Huai were to establish the dynasty, then He Boqiu would undoubtedly be the prime minister.

Would such a person embezzle money from the saltworks?
Moreover, he abandoned his most capable son to embezzle.
Moreover, with the assistance of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, how could any big fish escape justice?

Therefore, on April 10th, with He Zizhen being sent to Jinan Prefecture to be personally questioned by Liu Huai, this half-hearted inspection tour of Haizhou by the Imperial Censor could be considered to have come to a barely satisfactory end.

Shi Ju had given considerable thought to how to deal with He Zizhen.

Because He Zizhen genuinely did not commit any wrongdoing, as the Admiral of Maritime Transport, he could easily attract countless merchants to fawn over him with a mere flick of his wrist. He had no need to embezzle the refined salt to exchange for money.

Although He Zizhen took responsibility, he was selfless and devoted to the public good, so Shi Ju had nothing to say, leaving Liu Huai with a headache.

"Speaking of which, we haven't seen Commander Shen these past few days. Isn't he coming with us?"

Shi Ju, riding on his horse, smiled in the spring breeze and said, "Commander Shen's purpose this time is not only to cooperate with us, but also to inspect the local garrisons."

Commander Shen is a very busy man. Our matter is temporarily settled, but his is far from over.

Du Wuji nodded and sighed, "I never expected that it would eventually involve Admiral He. It's simply... Master Shi, do you think that all bizarre cases, if they continue to be investigated, will eventually involve such important figures?"

Shi Ju shook his head and smiled, "No, as long as all officials are upright and honest, they can ensure a fair judgment in the case from the beginning, and then none of this will happen later."

Take this matter for example. If Admiral He and his ilk had explained things clearly to the eldest son earlier, they might not have needed to act in secret. In the end, the hole couldn't be plugged, and they could only atone with their deaths.

At this point, Shi Ju paused slightly, a flash of insight appearing in his mind as if he had grasped something, but upon reflection, he found nothing.

After a moment, he could only shake his head and sigh, realizing that time really does wait for no one, and he could no longer hold onto the thoughts in his mind.

The group of over two hundred people continued their journey towards Yizhou. Although Haizhou had finally yielded a result, Shi Ju's duties of inspecting the local area did not cease.

After traveling for a day, Shi Ju and his party stopped their horses near Haizhouwei. They then sought out the local village chief, who was also a trusted person appointed by Shen Longzi, to investigate the local conditions.

"Village Chief Hao, how is the soil moisture here?"

Hao Donglai smiled as he looked at the distinguished guests in front of him and nodded, saying, "Very good. Last year, I thought the grain production would be reduced, but I didn't expect my wife and two children to be so capable that not a single grain of rice fell to the ground."

Shi Ju handed the wine flask in his hand to Hao Donglai and said with a smile, "Have a sip to relieve your fatigue. The saying 'A virtuous wife at home ensures a husband is free from misfortune' is truly insightful."

Hao Donglai took the wine flask, took a big gulp, and then handed it back with some reluctance: "It's true. Sigh, my eldest son is of marriageable age. I just don't know when that brat will be back. It's really worrying."

Shi Ju pushed the wine flask back, indicating that it should be given to the other party: "A good man should have ambitions in all directions. When he is young, it is the time to make achievements and establish his career. If we call them back to get married now, they might even harbor resentment."

Hao Donglai didn't stand on ceremony. He hung the wine bag on his waist and sighed, "Never mind, children and grandchildren have their own blessings."

Shi Ju was ostensibly there to inquire about local customs, while Hao Donglai was a worldly man. The two quickly hit it off, chatting away in the fields, enjoying the warm spring breeze.

"So, this hoe can be bought for only ten coins? And this plowshare is only a hundred coins?" Hao Donglai nodded in agreement: "That's for sure. Ever since the government-run iron shop opened, farm tools have become incredibly cheap."

"Isn't there a way to buy farm tools cheaply, melt them down, make them into ironware, and then sell them at a higher price?"

"Of course there are, but how could the government not investigate thoroughly? Many heads have already been chopped off."

"Yes, good governance can only benefit ordinary people if it is strictly enforced; otherwise, it will become a tool for the powerful to amass wealth."

"What you say is right, and there are other good policies besides these."

Iron smelting was one of the many arts and crafts courses at the Wei Academy. A while ago, the second son of Old Zhao from our village returned from his studies in Haizhou Wei and opened a blacksmith shop. He's quite skilled at mending and repairing ironware, saving us the trouble of going to the county town for repairs.

"Alas, the good policies of the King of Han could not be fully described even in ten days and ten nights."

Shi Ju laughed and said, "You people here also call the eldest son the King of Han?"

Hao Donglai nodded repeatedly: "Of course. Since there is such a name in the city, what else can we peasants say? We will just follow suit."

Moreover, in my opinion, what difference would it make if the eldest son were to become emperor, let alone a king? If the King of Han could bring a better life to the entire land, like that of Shandong, we could seize the thrones of both the Jin invaders and the Song emperor for him.”

Shi Ju nodded repeatedly as he listened. Just as he was about to say something, he heard a burst of firecrackers in the distance. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Whose family has a marriage proposal?"

Hao Donglai smiled and shook his head: "It's not a marriage between any families. It's just that Captain Zhang built a big house, and today is the day of the roof-raising ceremony. My two sons went to help. There will be a banquet later, and I hope you can attend as well."

Shi Ju's heart skipped a beat, but he asked calmly, "Is the Zhang family's mansion impressive?"

"It's incredibly grand, covering several acres, with carved beams and painted rafters, and even has a stream running through it for the family to play in. Tsk tsk tsk, I wonder when I'll be able to build a house like that."

Shi Ju nodded, then stood up: "Commander Hao, thanks to you today, let's go and join in the fun and see what kind of banquet Lieutenant Zhang has prepared."

Hao Donglai also stood up, shaking the mud off his boots: "No problem, no problem. I'll go back and change my clothes first. Please wait a moment, sir."

After Hao Donglai left, Du Wuji hesitated and said, "This is, after all, a matter concerning the garrison. The Prince of Han clearly doesn't want us to get involved."

Shi Ju chuckled, his hands clasped in his hands, "It's alright, the King of Han wouldn't kill me, would he?"

Left with no other option, Du Wuji could only secretly prepare for contingencies.

Shi Ju's suspicion was quite simple: the captains in the garrison could not possibly have so much money to build a large, ornately decorated mansion covering several acres.

Such great rewards were only given to those who performed exceptionally well on the battlefield, and all these fierce warriors became well-known through the propaganda of the Han army.

As mentioned before, although Liu Huai copied the name of Zhu Yuanzhang's garrison system, it was still somewhat different from the garrison system. To be precise, it was a class of thousand households and below, named after the captains and colonels of the Tang Dynasty's Zhechongfu.

The reason was simple and direct: Liu Huai did not want to inherit the Yuan Dynasty's system of personal dependence and wanted to replace the title of nobility with an official position.

The rank of Colonel was in charge of about three hundred military households, which was equivalent to the backbone of the force between the Thousand Households and the Hundred Households.

Even so, a captain only receives a hundred strings of cash a year, not counting land, so how could he afford a luxurious house?

However, Shi Ju did not want to alert the enemy. Instead, he and Hao Donglai went to Zhang Xiaowei's new residence to investigate first.

After all, it's possible that some country folk are just making things up and exaggerating, making an ordinary house sound grand and luxurious.

It's also possible that Captain Zhang or his family members were truly skilled at business and built this fortune.

After all, while the Han army was prohibited from engaging in commerce, there were no such restrictions on individual soldiers.

But when Shi Ju actually saw the mansion, he couldn't help but sneer at Du Wuji beside him and said, "It would be a miracle if Captain Zhang wasn't a big corrupt official."

Du Wuji steeled himself: "Should we arrest them now?"

Shi Ju looked at the villagers who were celebrating, thought for a moment, and then said, "Let's wait until the banquet is over, and then we'll go and argue with Captain Zhang."

After all, the eldest son doesn't want us to interfere in the affairs of the garrison. If we can resolve this peacefully, it would be best to appease Commander Shen.

Du Wuji nodded, then summoned his trusted warriors and ordered his troops to disperse and remain inconspicuous, ready to act at any moment.

Shi Ju stood with his hands behind his back in the crowd, like a wise man who had everything under control, completely unaware of the astonishing truth he was about to uncover.

(End of this chapter)